Karma
by lori -fangirl
Summary: A murderer on the lose with a kill list. Who will be next to die
1. Chapter 1

Raymond's POV

The ropes are tight on my wrists, squeezing the veins and stopping the blood flow. My sense of sight is blocked by a rough piece of cloth and I can barely breathe due to the sock in my mouth. Drool drips down my chin every time I try to swallow. _How did I get here? Why am I here?_ I feel the wooden chair beneath me and the chipped arm rests in which my hands are tied too. Strong footsteps are heard coming down a stair case. They seem to be coming from my left side so I cautiously turn my head towards the sound. While they make their way down the stairs I hear a screeching sound scratching the railing. The person is probably holding something sharp and they are dragging it down the stairs. My beating heart and the clanking metal from the railings are the only sound in the room. _What is going to happen? Dear God in Heaven if you hear me._ The footsteps reach the landing and then stop. _Please God, Please God_.

I hear the feet slowly walk towards my chair until they stop right in front of me. _Please God let me live through this. Please God_. I feel hands behind my head untying the labyrinth of knots. The fabric falls in my lap and my eyes squint in the bright florescent light. My pupils slowly grow accustomed to the new scenery. I am sitting in an unfinished basement with furniture that is covered with white table cloths. Someone wearing a black ski mask stands in front of me, their height looming over me like a building. "Raymond" the person barks as spit splashes on my face. "It is time to pay the price". _What are they saying? Pay what price?_ "You will be the first one first kill". The moment those words are out of their mouth my heart speeds up abnormally. The person lifts up a kitchen knife, "This is going to hurt", and then slices the blade into my wrist. Kneading through the bone and yanking off the flesh. My screams cannot be heard because of the sock but tears start to stream down my face. The pain is unbearable. _Please God , Please God_. My tied arms struggle against the chair rest and my head moves from side to side. Liquid crimson sprawls along the floor beside my limp fallen hand.

The knife is once again raised and cuts through my other hand. My sobbing screams only makes the sock go deeper into my mouth. _The pain, oh the pain_. I now sit immobilized, unmoving, with no hands. Blood surrounds every part of my vision, staining my shirt and shoes. The masked man/woman starts to wipe the access blood off their knife and onto their fingertips. _Please God if you hear me, please God_. "Blood used to symbolize life, purity, strength, but in our strange society today it only represents weakness, mutilation and death. Your death" the person lifts up their mask and I gasp. _It can't be. How? _ The sock is pulled out of my mouth and I gasp for fresh air. "You" I scream out. "You, How? Why?". "Oh Raymond, next time, keep your hands to yourself" I look down at my fallen hands, in a pool of my own blood. My captor then plunges the knife into my stomach, sliding it up to my rib cage and shattering the breast bone. I choke out a few more screams but I am so lost in the pain. This is death. This is the end. _Please God, Please God_.


	2. Chapter 2

Karma's POV

The air is strangely thin in the early morning. The gray sky does not house one single bird or bug. Every creature is silent on this day of mourning. We pray for Raymond and that horrible night he faced. "He was a good son. Always caring and compassionate. He did not deserve this death, no one ever does" Raymond's Mother could barely speak. Well I guess I wouldn't be able to as well if I found my sons dead body carved out and his blood used to write a message on the wall. _You are next_. Raymond was my oldest, closet friends and I still deny that he died. _He can't, I don't believe it._ But here I stand, looking down at his shinny black coffin. _This cannot be happening_. _Why him? Why him?_ The murderer has not been found but the police are trying everything they can to find this abomination.

Our town in Alberta is small enough for news to spread around, so hopefully the murderer will be found quickly and be punished. What kind of person would do this to a human? _I am so angry, so damn angry_. This isn't fair to him; he had his whole life planned out. I turn my head to analyze the crowd; Raymond's mother is kneeling and holding onto her chest. My friend, Bethany Young is kneeling beside his mother, also sobbing. Bethany was Raymond's girlfriend, they were together for over six years; they dated for all of high school and even two years of elementary school. There love was so strong that it would have been together after high school, would have. Tears start to form around my pupils while I watch my friend completely destroyed, barely being able to breathe. The arms around me tighten and I lean into solid shoulders. My boyfriend Cassian Alvaro looks down at me with such sympathy. He is football captain and we just started dating a few months ago so he and Raymond did not know each other that well, but he knows how much Raymond meant to me. His ebony hair looks golden in the morning light and his green eyes look like the jewelled church window which glitters in the sunlight. It is such a peaceful, beautiful day. This is how all funerals should be, no cliché thunder and lightning. They say that funerals are not for the dead but for the living. So we are here to remember the goodness that Raymond brought to all of our lives.

The ceremony soon ends and the crowd of blackness disperses towards their cars. I watch as Raymond's mother is pulled up by her husband, and Bethany soon follows. They hold onto each other and walk off to the parking lot. "I'm going to take you home Kar" Cassian looks in my eyes and I shake my head. "I need some time to think Cass, I need a few moments. I will drive myself home". My black shoes crunch under the dead leaves while they move towards the grave. I bow my head one more time for my fallen friend. The tears start to fall uncontrollably and my lips quiver. _No one is here to watch me cry. Just cry. _I sit beside the grave and just let everything out. I cry until it is physically impossible to cry ever again. "I'm gonna miss you so much Ray. You were my other half. I hope you found some peace". I wipe my nose on my cardigan sleeve and finally get up. My Name is Karma King, I am a seventeen years old. I live with my mother and two brothers. I go to school at Lemingsworth High and I am studying to be a veterinarian. I have syncope syndrome which is when I struggle through fainting black outs suddenly at any time. I live a poor life in a small rainy town. My Name is Karma King, I am seventeen years old and I just lost my best friend.


	3. Chapter 3

My knuckles grip on the leather steering wheel while I rest my head on its center. _Just breathe, just breath._ The last thing I need right now is to have a fainting spell. I already had one after Ray died and two more before the funeral. I talked to the police at the station right after they found his body. The news report said that they found a list of names hammered to Raymond's chest. It contained four names, typed in a strange font.

1. Raymond Julies

2. Bethany Young

3. Cassian Alvaro

4. Karma King

The police are worried that it is a kill list and that the murderer will kill everyone on the list in order. Raymond was first to go and if this list is real then I will be last. I start to sob again, tears splashing on the wheel. I slam open the visor and stare at my lackey complexion. Mascara and eyeliner drips down my cheeks and my blond hair looks like concrete gray. The cheap phone that I carry starts to vibrate and I struggle to find it in my purse. I press it to my ear and wait for a voice. "Karma, where are you?" I hear sniffling and then crying. "Beth, I'm still at the cemetery" I reply slowly. "Can you come to my place, let's have a sleep over" she pauses. "I can't be alone right now, especially because of that list" she continues to cry. My arms and legs are now covered in goose bumps. Not only do we have to mourn over the loss of our friend but we have to worry about being murdered next. _The list is just making the situation worse_. "I'm on my way right now". I stare at my reflection through the visor. "And Beth, make sure to lock your doors".

She cries, eats some ice cream and cries some more. "I mean" she can't finish because she starts to sob again. "I mean we had everything planned out. We even had matching UFT sweaters. We were going to get married did you know that?" she screams and throws her bucket of chocolate across the room. I rush to the mess and start to clean the discarded cream. "There is a time for crying and there is a time for remembering and I think that today we should remember him". I walk back to her and she rests her head in my lap. I soothingly brush her hair with my fingertips, gently, almost like a silent lullaby. "He wouldn't want us to remember him like this. He was too funny and sarcastic for that" I say and continue my massage on her scalp. "I'm pregnant" she whispers and my hands stop in their tracks. "Your, what?" my voice starts to shake_. No, No, No, This child _isn't_ going to have a Father, No_. "We were going to announce it at my eighteenth birthday but..." she could not continue the sentence. "Did you tell your parents" I ask. "Yes, I told them right away and they understood" she answers. "How long are you?" I ask. "It's been about two months". We continue to chatter about her pregnancy until she changes the subject.

"Are you scared?" she whispers but her words are loud enough to give my body another set of goose bumps. "Of course I'm scared. The bastard that killed Raymond might be coming after us next" my voice quivers. Bethany abruptly sits up and grabs onto my arms. "But I'm next on the list. I could die today, or tomorrow or next week. But I am next and I am so scared Karma, I am so damn scared" she leans into my neck and I feel her frightened gasps.

After a few more minutes of silence my phone starts to vibrate again. I slip out of Bethany's grasp and pick it up. "Hey Cass" I wait for his reply. "How is she doing?" he speaks softly. "She is scared, we are all scared. To be honest Cass I don't know what to do? What if this list is real? What if someth..." before I continue he cuts me off. "Nothing is going to happen Kar, this killer is just trying to mess with us". "Okay, just try to be safe. Don't go down any creepy alley ways and lock your doors" I say and hear his laugh. "You're so cute when you're protective" he says and I smile for the first time in weeks. "I have to go Cass, but really be safe". "Of course, goodbye and I love you" he hangs up. I walk back to Bethany's bedroom only to find her asleep. The blankets are still underneath her so I gently lift her up and cover her shivering body. I quickly change into my sleep wear, flick off the room lights and climb in beside her. _She's pregnant? She's going to be a mother? This is just too tragic_. After a few minutes, my breathing starts to match her slow and steady ones. My conscious mind slips into my unconscious state and sleep finally takes over_. Everything will be fine Karma, don't worry._


	4. Chapter 4

I am vigorously shaken and my eyes pop open. I look up and notice Bethany's parents looming over me . "Mrs and Mr Young, what is the matter?" I ask and watch as they give each other a frightened look. "It's Bethany. She's gone." My body automatically jerks upright and I slam onto the floor. "What do you mean she's gone? She was right beside me" I ask, trying to analyze the situation myself. Fright trickles up my spine and neck. _Damn it_. _This cannot be happening again, not to Beth. Please not to Beth_. I look to the floor and notice that her slippers are gone. "She went outside" I point to the empty space. "She only wears those slippers to go outside" I say and her parents nod in agreement. "Then she shouldn't be that far. Maybe still in the yard. She has been having morning sickness lately so it wouldn't be unusual for her to be outside right" her mother also tries to analyze the situation herself.

The Young's own about a hundred acres of farm land, so finding Beth will be very hard. "Let's split up. You two go right and I will go left" they disappear into the maze of trees and I begin my cascade into the forest. Frost touches the edges of the fallen leaves and the blackness of the sky layers around my flashlight. Everything is silent except the rustling of my own shoes. My breath is visible in the cold night while I call out for Bethany. _Her parents knew about her pregnancy. Why did it take so long for her to say something? Raymond would have definitely shared the news with me right away_. My internal conversation with myself is distracting me from the task at hand. Bethany should not be outside at this time, especially when there is a killer on the loose. I stop walking so that there is absolute silence. My heart starts to speed up due to my growing anxiety. _Dear God, I hope I don't black out in the middle of the forest. _ The only thing I hear is the brutal wind and a dripping noise . Dripping? It sounds too heavy to be water or melting frost. My whole body starts to shiver and I begin to run towards the dripping sound. _Drip Drip, Drip Drip, Drip Drip_. I am getting closer and closer_. Drip Splash, Drip splash_. The sounds are more vivid and I pump my legs faster towards the noise. _Splash Splash_. The sound is now right in front of me and I notice that I have stepped on something wet. I raise my shoe from the ground and find it covered in blood. I cover my mouth with my hand. _. No, No, NO. _Then I feel hot liquid on my cheek and finally look up. _Dear God in Heaven_. Bethany is right on top of me with her stomach torn open and has been hung by neck with her own intestines.

She swings back and forth and her blood spills on the white frost. _Splash, Splash_. The large intestine is still connected to her body, so it also swings back and forth with her. I scream and scream. "NO BETHANY" My voice echoes in the hundred acre yard and I start to cry in panic. _What is happening? This is a dream?_ _She can't be dead. Please don't be dead_. I look up once again and follow her open eyes, now consumed by death. This time I start to vomit all over the ground. My choking sobs cause even more of my dinner to spill out. I scream and scream until my throat burns of acid and rage.

Bethany's Parents throw up even more than I did. Watching them makes me cry even more. My voice is weak and clogged with vomit. I hear sirens barking in the night hours. Everything is a daze right now and I can barely keep my eyes open. Then strong arms get hold of me and start to drag me out of the forest but I struggle to stay beside by friend. "No" I say yanking my arms free from the officer. "Don't" I scream and run back to her hanging body. Six officer's move around me and block any free passage. I have nowhere else to look at but the tree she hangs from. It has a bloody message on it, used by her blood. _You are next._

That's when everything goes black.


	5. Chapter 5

Karma, they won't listen to you" Cassian is running after me but I don't hear anything. "You just went through something traumatising and you have been out cold for days. You need to calm down" he grabs my hands but I pull away. "Don't you dare tell me to calm down? You said this would never happen. She was hung by her INTESTINES CASSIAN. HER INTESTINES" I start to shiver once again. I barge into the police station and I slam open the sheriffs door. "You said you would do everything to find this killer. But you have been sitting on your ass all week doing paper work. You should have sent cops to watch over us." My screaming causes the whole office to stop working. "Ms King, I know that you are scared and upset" he continues but I cut him off. "Scared? I was scared when I saw my name on that kill list. But now after seeing my friend hanging in her own yard, I AM TERRIFIED. And no one in this station is doing one damn thing" I yell until I can barely speak anymore. The staff just stares at me with their wide eyes and open mouths. "When I'm dead in a couple of days I hope you remember this conversation." Those are my last words before I walk out, slamming the door shut in the process.

Cassian meets me outside and tries to catch up to my pacing footsteps. "Please just look at me" he pleads and I give in. "Cassian you are next on the list" I whisper and he sucks in his breath. "You think I don't know that Kar? I have been waiting for you to wake up so that I could talk to you one last time before" he pauses. "Before something bad happens" he pulls me close and I try to memorize his scent and facial features. "We will ask if we can stay in the police station all night if you want" he says and I nod in agreement. I haven't had one minute to think in days. The tragedy of Bethany Young is still haunting the streets of our little town. The funeral was yesterday and her grave stone was placed right beside Raymond's. Her death was much more painful than his. Her womb was cut open and then her small intestines were ripped out and used as the "rope". Her child was cut open. _Oh dear God_.

Cassian walks me back to the police station and we settle in a heavily guarded guest room. The walls are solid concrete and the doors are expensive strong metal. Two officers sit behind the doors, watching anyone who goes in and out. It is inescapable. I honestly think this killer can be anyone, maybe my neighbours, school mates, or possibly boyfriend? _No way. Cassian would never do anything like this_. He did seem very confident about the killer not being real. He hasn't reacted at all. I have not seen one tear or frown. He just keeps a neutral face, is he hiding something from me?_ No_. His name is on the list as well. He is just as scared but has a different way of showing his fright. I sit beside him on the bed and rub his back. "Let's get some sleep Cass" I whisper beside him and he nods. Ten minutes later we are snuggled together in the warm blankets and I feel so safe in his arms. _Go to sleep Kar. You are safe here._


	6. Chapter 6

Cassian's POV

I open my eyes but only see blackness. I feel a cloth wrapped around my skull and that's when I panic. "HELP, ANYONE?" I scream at the top of my lungs and struggle against my confinements. Footsteps are heard coming down a stair case and I struggle even more. The footsteps stop in front of me and I try to kick my legs. "Show yourself" I spit out. I hear something scratch along my chair. It sounds like a knife, no hammer? The sharp object runs along my arms and up to my head. It slices the cloth and my eye sight is back. I realize who my captor is and gasp in complete and utter shock. "Karma?"

_Karma? _"How is this possible, this is a joke right?" I ask and watch as her beautiful face creates a deadly grin. She starts to laugh gently. "What makes you think that I am joking" she starts to dig the knife into my palm, scraping out a hole. I scream in agony. Blood splatters on her arms and legs. "How?" I yell out. "How?" she repeats. "Taking you out was easy. I just told the officers that you needed some fresh air, and then I brought you here. To the churches abandoned basement". "Why are you doing this" my voice pleads. "I'm doing this because you all deserve to die. Karma's a b*tch isn't it" she smirks and raises the knife to her lips, smearing the blood along her lips. "The funny thing is, I don't even realize what I'm doing. Whenever I have those fainting spells, I actually wake up right after. But I wake up a little differently..." she laughs at my expression. "I tried to understand why this is happening. Why I wake up thinking so many different things and then nothing at all. I'm guessing it's some kind of personality disorder or a split personality" I start to cry, not being able to hold my urgent sobs. "I put my name on that damn list so that I wouldn't be a suspect. You see, all three of you did something to me. Something that I can't forget" She goes to sit in a chair in front of my own. We sit at eye level now, her gaze making me squirm. "Raymond was a dirty a*shole. He only wanted me in the most physical ways. He couldn't keep his hands off me, so I cut them off." I sucked in a breath when she says this. "And Bethany? She was a crazy betraying b*tch that I honestly couldn't wait to get rid of" Karma moves closer to me and leans forward. "She was having an affair. Did you know that?" She smirks. "Her child wasn't even Raymond's. Do you know how I know that? Raymond still didn't have the guts to go all the way. He told me every day. Beth said she was two months pregnant but how is that possible when Raymond could barely hold her." She gets up and slashes the knife into my other palm, causing a sea of blood to splash on my face. "I dragged her down her own stairs and into her yard. She kept on muttering the same thing, the one thing that I already knew. It's Cassian's. It's Cassian's". She pushes the knife to my throat. "You were cheating on me you bloody Bastard".

_She found out. She found out and she is going to kill me. _The blood on my wrists and hands make the ropes looser. _I can get out of this. Just remain calm_. I shake my arms free and shove my knuckles in her face. She stumbles back in shock, dropping the knife in the process. I bend down and reach for the knife_. _The knife slices through the rope and my legs are free. My legs start to pump towards the stairs but I feel her bony hands grasp my ankles. My head goes down to the landing, thumping on the concrete. She climbs on top of me and grabs the knife from my hands. I am in a daze because of my head wound. Then I feel her drag me back to the center of the basement and turn me over so I stare at the ceiling. She sits on my waist and stares into my eyes. "Cheaters deserve to die" She smiles and raises the knife.

It pounds in my chest and keeps on going up and down. She stabs me so many times that I lose track after the third time. I am fading. My breathing is stopping. My pulse is low. I watch her get up, her white shirt completely covered in crimson. I see death everywhere. It is calling me from the afterlife and I am obligated to reply, for it waits for me at the border line of the veil which separates the human world and spirit world. The knife is still sealed in my chest and I painfully take it out. Her back is to me, but that is all I need. I throw it across the room, like one of my footballs, until it sticks in her spine. She gurgles a cry and limps to the floor. She is bleeding all over and I smile. She is never going to kill anyone again. I completely surrender to death. I welcome it as an old friend, with open arms. The Killer is dead and so am I.


	7. Chapter 7

Karma's POV

My name is Karma King, I am seventeen years old and I just lost my boyfriend. The police found the two of use in the Church basement. Cassian was a bloody mess after being stabbed twenty- three times. They found me on the verge of death, with a knife in my back. I can't remember anything about that night. The killer must have drugged us and attempted to kill the both of us. I remained alive for some reason; my heart just wouldn't stop beating. I now stand in front of my boyfriend's gravestone. I have no one anymore. They are all dead and I don't know how I am supposed to live. There is a deadly murderer out there, probably making another kill list. Maybe they know that I am still alive and are coming after me right now? _Oh Cassian. Oh Bethany. Oh Raymond. _My name is the remaining one on the list. It's my turn.

My name is Karma King, I am seventeen years old and I am next to die.


End file.
